(WBBM News Radio) — Hepatitis C during pregnancy and infancy can cause a host of health problems, but two Chicago hospitals are joining forces to change that.
Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Children’s Hospital are collaborating to treat and hopefully cure cases of hepatitis C in pregnant women and their babies.
Dr. Lynn Yee, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine, explains the dangers.
“While this may be a long-term issue for many, one thing we are particularly concerned about during pregnancy is the spread of the virus from mother to baby, and that hepatitis C is associated with other risks such as premature birth. The baby is too small, and Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.”
Typically, treatment for hepatitis C in pregnant women doesn’t begin until after delivery, but Dr. Yee said there are benefits to starting treatment as early as possible.
“By treating mothers during pregnancy and potentially curing them of hepatitis C, we think we have a good chance of eliminating the chance of hepatitis C being transmitted from mother to baby.”
Five pregnant women who completed a new treatment plan through the Women’s Infectious Diseases Program are seeing results that amount to a “cure,” Northwestern Medicine reports.
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